Free-Walk Friday

Glimmer works hard all week. In the summer of 2016, I started a tradition with her that I call “Free-walk Friday”. It’s loose-leash walking, but she gets to make the decisions about what we do and where we go. Only three rules are in force during Free-walk Fridays: No pulling, no eating anything off the ground, and heel-sit at street corners.

Today we went to an unfamiliar area of our neighborhood. She did a phenomenal job of pushing herself past her threshold and trusting me to know when it was time to bring her back to more familiar territory. On the way, she initiated investigating a downed bus sign – a big victory for her, because she’s been very anxious around signs; she also had some fun rolling around in some leaves. And when she felt comfortable, I dropped the leash, told her to bring us home, and felt my heart fill near to bursting with pride when she went straight to the gate and waited for me.

What do you do to reward your dogs when they’ve worked hard for you all week? Leave me a comment; tell me about your week. 🙂